Bomb shelter



Feb. 24, 1953 H. KIFFERSTEIN 2,629,348

BOMB SHELTER Filed Sept. 21, 1950 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 A r ragu e7.

Fatented Feb. 24, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 13 Claims.

This invention relates to a bomb shelter construction and moreparticularly to bomb shelters for individual use or family use and whichis adapted particularly for placing partially in the ground in the backyard of the prospective user.

Itis the object of the present inventionto provide an inexpensive andsimplified reinforced concrete bomb shelter of substantially cylindricalform and which is provided with door openings. and doors at its oppositeends and which is adapted for longitudinal positioning within the groundwith at least 50 per cent thereof arranged below the grade line and withthe balance of the shelter covered by dirt to be mounded thereover.

It is a further object of the present invention to, provide a simple andcompact bomb shelter which is fully effective for its intended purpose.

These and other objects will be seen from the following specificationand claims in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of the bomb shelter showing in dotted lines theopened positions of the door elements at its opposite ends.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on. line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section on line lll of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 55 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is an elevationalsection of the bomb shelter showing a slightvariation in its wall construction.

It will be understood that the above drawings illustrate merely apreferred embodiment of the invention and that other embodiments arecontemplated within the scope of the claims hereafter set out.

Referring to the drawings the bomb shelter construction includes theelongated horizontally positioned hollow cylindrical housing I l whichis preferably constructed. of a poured concrete which is suitablyreinforcedv asv indicated at I2 in the drawing and whose opposite endsare open as shown. In the finished construction the opposite ends havedome shaped or hemispherical covers to complete the enclosure. Saidcovers include the lower half semi-circular portions it which are alsoformed and constructed of reinforced concrete and which are suitablysecured to the lower end portions of the housing as hereafter described.

The upper halves of the closures are similarly formed of concrete whichis suitably reinforced and includes a pair of openable ninety degreeelements It and I5 such as shown in Fig. 1 as well as Fig. 5 and whichare suitably hinged to the side portions of the housing as illustratedin Fig. 1, and which are adapted to open outwardly and laterally of thehousing as shown in dotted lines.

The opposite ends of housing I I are initially formed with an outwardlyprojecting semi-circular attaching flange l5 whose outside diameter isless than the outside diameter of the housing and isbest: illustrated inFigs.. 2 and. 3..

The relatively permanent semi-circularly shaped end caps l3 havesimilarly formed semicircular outwardly directed flanges ll. whose innerdiameter is greater than the interior diameter of the cap whereby theflange ll of the caps i3 overlap the ilange It at the opposite ends ofthe housing. Said caps are secured to the housing flange is by thetransverse bolts I8 and their respective nuts as in Fig. 3.

As shown in the drawings the cylindrical housing H is positioned withinthe earth ls so that substantially one-half of the cylindrical housingis below the grade line 20, and with the remainder of the shelterintermediate its ends being mounded over with dirt as at 2|.

The respective door elements [4 and i5 which form the upper halves ofthe dome shaped covers for the shelter are laterally joined to thehousing and hingedly secured thereto as by the hinges 2g and theirattaching bolts 23. It will be seen from Figs. 2 and 5 that the doorelements id and is are in registry with the grade line 23 and are thusfree for hinged opening movements laterally oi the housing H such as tothe dotted line positions shown in Fig. 1. When closed the adjacentinner edges of the door elements engage each other along thelongitudinal central lines 2:; as shown in Figs. 1 and 5.

A cylindrical sleeve 25 constructed preferably of steel is positionedupon the interior of the cylindrical concrete housing H with theexterior diameter of the sleeve substantially the same as-the interiordiameter of the housing II.

There is also provided a cylindrically shaped preferably lead shield 25which is snugly positioned around the exterior surface of the concretehousing ll, and the members 25- and 26 may, if desired, be secured tothe housing H such as by the transverse bolts 27. It is con;- templatedhowever that these bolts could be omitted if desired.

The end caps or" the housing which include the stationary caps iSas wellas the openable door elements i4 and I5 are similarly lined with aproperly formed dome shaped, preierably steel, sheet 28 and a similarlyshaped lead shield is is arranged upon the exterior of said capelements, in the manner illustrated in the drawings.

In applicants preferred construction the housing as well as the domeshaped cap elements are Water-proofed in any suitable manner such as bythe application of a suitable water-proofing compound upon theirexterior as Well as interior surfaces before the. insertion and mountingof the respective steel and lead sleeves.

In a variation of the invention, as shown in Fig. 6, it appears thatthere is an additional cylindrically shaped lead shield 34 interposedbetween the interior surface of the concrete housing and the exteriorsurface of the steel cylinder 25, to thereby provide further protectionto the occupants as against certain harmful rays from an. exploded bomb.In all other respects the variation shown in Fig. die the same as thatshown in the other figures of the drawings.

To further reinforce the interior of the shelter against collapse thereis provided a plurality of upright longitudinally spaced formedpreferably concrete column 30 as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 which haveprovided upon their opposite ends the arcuate extensions 3| and 32 whichcooperatively bear against the respective interior top and bottomsurfaces of the steel sleeve 25.

The columns 30 are also formed with the transverse seat elements 33which, as shown in the drawing, extend at right angle from therespective columns and with their outer ends formed, and of such lengthas to cooperatively engage the lower interior surfaces of the sheltercasing 25. As shown in Fig. 3 the columns and seats 33 arelongitudinally spaced throughout the length of the shelter for theconvenience of the occupants.

It is contemplated that the door elements i4 and [5 may be manuallyopened from either the interior or exterior of the shelter, and ifdesired a hydraulic jack or other similar device could be provided tofacilitate opening of the door elements in the event that they should becovered with debris.

While the present preferred embodiment of the invention shows the capsat the ends of the cylindrical housing as including a bottom one-half ofsemi-circular shape which is secured to the housing and a pair ofquarter sections of the caps l4 and 15 as being separately hinged at 22to the housing, it is contemplated that only one door element beprovided at the opposite ends of the housing if desired. For thispurpose the door would be preferably of a quarter section shape such asthe door I4, and in that case the quarter section 15 would be anintegral part of the lower half I3 of the cap.

While the above description illustrates a cylindrical housing it iscontemplated that the housing could have any other desired crosssectional shape such as oval or rectangular, and in that case theclosure caps would be of corresponding similar shape. Thus as hereafterclaimed the bomb shelter includes a cylindrical housing, however it isintended that such housing would have its equivalent structure whetherthe housing was cylindrical or had some alternate cross sectional shapesuch as above referred to.

Having described my invention reference should now be had to the claimswhich follow for determining the scope thereof.

I claim:

1. A bomb shelter comprising a hollow open ended cylindrical housing ofsteel reinforced concrete adapted for longitudinal positioning withinthe ground with at least one-half of its area below the grade line, anddome shaped hemispherical caps of similar material joined to theopposite ends thereof, the upper halves of said cap being separate fromthe lower halves, and being centrally and vertically divided providinglaterally and oppositely openable pairs of door elements at oppositeends of said housing, and hinges interconnecting said door elements andsaid housing.

2. A bomb shelter comprising a hollow open ended cylindrical housing ofsteel reinforced concrete adapted for longitudinal positioning withinthe ground with at least one-half of its area below the grade line, domeshaped hemispherical caps of similar material joined to the oppositeends thereof, the upper halves of said caps being separate from thelower halves, and being centrally and vertically divided providinglaterally and oppositely openable pairs of door elements at oppositeends of said housing, hinges interconnecting said door elements and saidhousing, and a steel sleeve positioned within and against the interiorsurface of said housing and extending throughout its length.

3. A bomb shelter comprising a hollow open ended cylindrical housing ofsteel reinforced concrete adapted for longitudinal positioning withinthe ground with at least one-half of its area below the grade line, domeshaped hemispherical caps of similar material joined to the oppositeends thereof, the upper halves of said caps being separate from thelower halves, and being centrally and vertically divided providinglaterally and oppositely openable pair of door elements at opposite endsof said housing, hinges interconnecting said door elements and saidhousing, a steel sleeve positioned within and against the interiorsurface of said housing and extending throughout its length, andsimilarly formed steel plates secured within the interior surfaces ofsaid caps.

4. A bomb shelter comprising a hollow open ended cylindrical housing ofsteel reinforced concrete adapted for longitudinal positioning withinthe ground with at least one-half of its area below the grade line, domeshaped hemispherical caps of similar material joined to the oppositeends thereof, the upper halves of said caps being separate from thelower halves, and being centrally and vertically divided providinglaterally and oppositely openable pairs of door elements at oppositeends of said housing, hinges interconnecting said door elements and saidhousing, a steel sleeve positioned within and against the interiorsurface of said housing and extending throughout its length, and a leadsleeve positioned around and against the exterior surface of saidhousing and extending throughout its length.

5. A bomb shelter comprising a hollow open ended cylindrical housing ofsteel reinforced concrete adapted for longitudinal positioning withinthe ground with at least one-half of its area below the grade line, domeshaped hemispherical caps of similar material joined to the oppositeends thereof, the upper halves of said caps being separate from thelower halves, and being centrally and vertically divided providinglaterally and oppositely openable pairs of door elements at oppositeends of said housing, hinges interconnecting said door elements and saidhousing, a steel sleeve positioned within and against the interiorsurface of said housing and extending throughout its length, a leadsleeve positioned around and against the exterior surface of saidhousing and extending throughout its length, and similarly formed andshaped steel and lead plates secured upon the interior and exteriorsurfaces of said caps respectively.

6. A bomb shelter comprising a hollow open ended cylindrical housing ofsteel reinforced concrete adapted for longitudinal positioning withinthe ground with at least one-half of its area below the grade line, domeshaped hemispherical caps of similar material joined to the oppositeends thereof, the upper halves of said caps being separate from thelower halves, and being centrally and vertically divided providinglaterally and oppositely openable pairs of door elements at oppositeends of said housing, hinges interconnecting said door elements and saidhousing, a steel sleeve positioned within and against the interiorsurface of said housing and extending throughout its length, a leadsleeve positioned around and against the exterior surface of saidhousing and extending throughout its length, a second lead sleeveinterposed between said steel sleeve and the interior surface of saidhousing, and similarly shaped lead plates and a steel plate joined tothe corresponding surfaces of said caps.

7. A bomb shelter comprising a hollow open -ended cylindrical housing ofsteel reinforced concrete adapted for longitudinal positioning withinthe ground With at least one-half of its area below the grade line, domeshaped hemispherical caps of similar material joined to the oppositeends thereof, the upper halves of said caps being separate from thelower halves, and being centrally and vertically divided providinglaterally and oppositely openable pairs of door elements at oppositeends of said housing, hinges interconnecting said door elements and saidhousing, said housing having semi-circular flanges of reduced exteriordiameter, at its opposite ends projecting from the lower half thereof,the lower halves of said caps having similarly formed semi-circularflanges of increased interior diameter overlapping said housing flanges,and transverse bolts extending through and interconnecting said flanges.

8. A bomb shelter comprising a hollow open ended cylindrical housing ofsteel reinforced concrete adapted for longitudinal positioning withinthe ground with at least one-half of its area below the grade line, domeshaped hemispherical caps of similar material joined to the oppositeends thereof, the upper halves of said caps being separate from thelower halves, and being centrally and vertically divided providinglaterally and oppositely openable pairs of door elements at oppositeends of said housing, hinges interconnecting said door elements and saidhousing, and a plurality of upright longitudinally spaced concretecolumns within said housing with their respective ends engaging opposedtop and bottom interior wall portions of said housing.

9. A bomb shelter comprising a hollow open ended cylindrical housing ofsteel reinforced concrete adapted for longitudinal positioning withinthe ground with at least one-half of its area below the grade line, domeshaped hemispherical caps of similar material joined to the oppositeends thereof, the upper halves of said caps being separate from thelower halves, and being centrally and vertically divided providing lat-5 erally and oppositely openable pairs of door elements at opposite endsof said housing, hinges interconnecting said door elements and saidhousing, a plurality of upright longitudinally spaced concrete columnswithin said housing, and arcuate transverse end portions on said columnsengaging opposed top and bottom interior wall portions of said housing.

10. A bomb shelter comprising a hollow open ended cylindrical housing ofsteel reinforced concrete adapted for longitudinal positioning withinthe ground with at least one-half of its area below the grade line, domeshaped hemispherical caps of similar material joined to the oppositeends thereof, the upper halves of said caps being separate from thelower halves, and being centrally and vertically divided providinglaterally and oppositely openable pairs of door elements at oppositeends of said housing, hinges interconnecting said door elements and saidhousing, a plurality of upright longitudinally spaced concrete columnsWithin said housing with their respective ends engaging opposed top andbottom interior wall portions of said housing, said columns havinghorizontal transverse elements formed integrally with and projectingfrom opposite sides of said columns, with their ends engaging oppositeinterior wall portions of said housing.

11. A bomb shelter comprising a hollow open ended cylindrical housing ofsteel reinforced concrete adapted for longitudinal positioning withinthe ground with at least one-half of its area below the grade line, andcaps of similar material joined to the opposite ends thereof, the upperhalves of said caps being separate from the lower halves, and beingcentrally and vertically divided providing laterally and oppositelyopenable pairs of door elements at opposite ends of said housing, andhinges interconnecting said door elements and said housing.

12. A bomb shelter comprising a hollow open ended cylindrical housing ofsteel reinforced concrete adapted for longitudinal positioning withinthe ground with at least one-half of its area below the grade line, capsof similar material joined to the opposite ends thereof, the upperhalves of said caps being separate from the lower halves, and beingcentrally and vertically divided providing laterally and oppositelyopenable pairs of door elements at opposite ends of said housing, hingesinterconnecting said door elements and said housing, a steel sleevepositioned within and against the interior surface of said housing andextending throughout its length, a lead sleeve positioned around andagainst the exterior surface of said housing and extending throughoutits length, and steel and lead plates secured upon the interior andexterior surfaces of said caps respectively.

13. A bomb shelter comprising a hollow open ended cylindrical housing ofsteel reinforced concrete adapted for longitudinal positioning withinthe ground with at least one-half of its area below the grade line, capsof similar material joined to the opposite ends thereof, the upperhalves of said caps being separate from the lower halves, and beingcentrally and vertically divided providing laterally and oppositelyo-penable pairs of door elements at opposite ends of said housing,hinges interconnecting said door elements and said housing, and aplurality of upright longitudinally spaced concrete columns within saidhousing with their respective ends engaging opposed top and bottominterior wall portions of said housing.

HARRY KIFFERS'IEIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 840,680 Arno-1d Jan. 8, 19071,471,841 Flannery Oct. 23, 1923 1,564,205 Clank Dec. 8, 1925 1,841,321Armstein et a1 Jan. 12, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 64,951Norway June 22, 1942 505,918 Great Britain May 19, 1939 544,070 GreatBritain Mar. 26, 1942 864,638 France Nov. 1, 1941

